A Chinese boy has died after his father accidentally fell on him in a supermarket.

The man was walking in front of his son while holding both the child’s hands when he suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on top of his son, Guangdong Television reported on Tuesday.

Surveillance video shows a saleswoman helping the father up and then lifting the motionless child from the floor and handing him to his father.

The boy was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, the report said.

“In the video, the man’s entire weight was on the upper body of the child, including the boy’s head and neck,” a paediatrician in Guangzhou was quoted as saying. “The child might have suffered a cervical fracture.”

People who had not received medical training should avoid moving anyone with suspected cervical injuries, the doctor told reporters.